AN UGLY CUSTOMER
The Fairview boys were, as George expressed it, "knocked all in a heap."
"Well, here's a pretty kettle of fish!" exclaimed Frank.
"Nothing like that," corrected Bob. "There aren't any fish at all."
"Somebody's played us a sneaking trick!" exploded Sammy, angrily.
"I don't knew that you can call it exactly that," remarked George.
"Anybody riding by might think that we had left them here because we
already had caught more than we could carry. In that case you couldn't
blame them for taking what was left. But it sure puts us in a bad hole.
We promised Mrs. Claxton a mess for supper and now we'll have to go
back with empty hands because it's too late to catch any more."
"It may not have been a man at all who took them," suggested Frank.
"Lots of small animals are fond of fish, and one of them or several of
them may have come along. Or a fish hawk may have spied them."
"I guess we haven't any one to blame but ourselves," observed Bob. "We
ought to have taken them with us when we got into the boat."
"Well, it's of no use to cry over spilled milk," remarked Sammy. "Let's
get a move on now and get home. I'm hungry enough to eat nails."
This seemed the only thing to do, and the boys had started in the
homeward direction when George reined up his horse.
"Do you think we'd better go back to that cottonwood tree and see if
they lynched that fellow after all?" he asked.
There was a shudder in the little group.
"It's getting pretty dark," said Frank, somewhat nervously.
"I guess we'd better not," judged Bob. "If there's nothing there it
wouldn't prove anyway that they hadn't hung him and buried the body.
And if the body _is_ hanging there I don't want to look at it."
"I wouldn't want to have that to dream about either," said George, and
again they started on their homeward journey.
"Do you think we ought to tell Mr. Claxton about what we've seen
to-day?" asked Sammy, as they were riding along.
"I hardly know just what would be best to do," said George,
hesitatingly. "The whole thing's over by this time, and his knowing
about it wouldn't do any good. Perhaps it would get him into a peck
of trouble. He might think he ought to look the matter up, and then
in revenge those fellows might get after him, run off his stock or
something like that. I guess for the present we'd better keep quiet
and see if anything turns up. We can always tell him if we think it
necessary."
They thought that this was, perhaps, the better thing to do. They
quickened the pace of their horses and a little while later they
reached the ranch.
The Claxtons met them on the porch and welcomed them warmly.
"Well, boys, what luck?" asked Mr. Claxton.
"Where's that big string of fish you promised me?" asked Mrs. Claxton,
with a laugh.
The boys smiled rather sheepishly.
"Well, to tell the truth," explained George, "we had luck and yet we
didn't have luck. We caught a splendid mess of fish. Then we left them
on the bank while we rowed up the river a way and when we came back the
fish weren't there. Some one must have come along and taken them, or
else some bird or animal must have eaten them."
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Mrs. Claxton. "That was too bad. I know
how disappointed you boys must have felt. But never mind about the
fish. I have a good hot supper ready for you and you can bring me a
mess some other day."
"You can be sure we won't let them out of our sight again after we
catch them," promised Sammy.
They washed hastily and sat down to the substantial meal which tasted
even better than usual after their long day in the open.
"We found a cave on the bank of the river to-day," observed Sammy,
after he had taken the first keen edge off his appetite.
"Sammy thought that it was a robber's cave at first and we didn't know
but what we'd have some loot to bring home," grinned Bob.
Sammy shot a wrathful glance at him.
"Yes, I know all about that cave," replied Mr. Claxton, after they had
described its location. "I've often wondered why some animal hasn't
taken possession of it."
"We'd like first rate to camp out in it over night some time if you
don't mind," put in Sammy.
Mrs. Claxton looked a little doubtful.
"Oh, I guess it won't hurt just once, perhaps," said Mr. Claxton,
genially. "I know just how you boys feel about such things."
The boys were delighted at this endorsement of their plan, but after
they had finished their supper and left the table, Mrs. Claxton turned
a little uneasily to her husband.
"Do you think it perfectly safe to let the boys do that?"
"Why, yes, my dear, I think it is," replied Mr. Claxton. "But to make
you feel comfortable, I'll arrange to have one or two of the men camp
out that night a little way off from the cave, so that they can be
within reach if anything happens. But don't say a word to the boys
about that. There wouldn't be any fun in it at all for them if they
thought that any one was looking after them."
After supper the boys were walking down near the bunk-house when they
met Hank Thompson.
"Where are the rest of the men, Hank?" asked George, after they had
exchanged greetings.
"All of them off on a round-up," replied Hank. "They won't be back till
late to-night."
"You must be rather lonesome," said Frank, with a smile.
"I've got one fellow down there to keep me company," grinned Hank. "But
he ain't what you might call real sociable like."
"What do you mean?" asked Sammy, with quick curiosity.
"Come along into the bunk-house and you kin see fur yerselves,"
answered Hank.
They trooped in after him. It was quite dark and Hank lighted a candle.
The boys looked around in the flickering light.
"Where's that friend of yours you were talking about?" asked Bob.
"I'll show him to you in a minute," laughed Hank.
He went over to a corner and lifted up a big box. It had a glass top
and this was further covered with a wire netting.
As Hank placed the box on a small table, there was an angry whirring
sound from within that made the boys jump back.
"Sounds like an electric buzzer!" exclaimed Bob.
"Maybe it's an infernal machine getting ready to go off," remarked
Frank, giving Sammy a playful poke in the ribs.
"It's an infernal machine fur a fact," grinned Hank. "Jest take a
squint at it."
He held the candle high and the boys peered curiously through the glass
top. There was a hiss and a rattle, and a huge rattlesnake struck its
head furiously against the glass top.
[Illustration: A RATTLESNAKE STRUCK ITS HEAD AGAINST THE GLASS TOP.]
There was a chorus of excited cries from the boys.
"A rattlesnake!"
"An old sockdolager!"
"Isn't he a monster?"
"Look at his eyes!"
Hank looked on, grinning with satisfaction at the sensation his find
had caused.
"Where did you get him, Hank?" asked George.
"Picked him up down the trail a piece," was the reply. "I was drivin'
along when I seen him coiled up in the middle of the trail. I though
first I'd get down an' break his back with my whip. Then I thought thet
you kids might like to hev a squint at him. So I kept him striking at
the end of my whip till I hed a chanst to pin his head down with a
forked stick. I hed a bag in the wagon an' I jest chucked this feller
into it and brung him along. This box is one thet hez held snakes
before but it's never held a bigger one than this."
And as the boys stared at the writhing monster they could readily
believe him.